Hanover (NC) Tp Takes Aim at Warehouse Development

John Diacogiannis

A recent Lehigh Valley Planning Commission survey lists trucks, traffic congestion and warehouses as the three top negatives for Lehigh Valley residents. It's going to get worse before it gets better. A FedEx ground terminal under construction in Allen Township will be operational in September. It will be its largest distribution hub in the U.S. Between January and June of this year, there has been an explosion of 1.5 million sq ft in warehouse space in Northampton County, with another 844,000 sq ft in Lehigh County. Given its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley is fast becoming a warehouse magnet. What can a local government do? That was a topic of discussion for Hanover Township Supervisors at their July 24 meeting.

Chairman John Diacogiannis proposed that Hanover Township team up with eight other municipalities in preparing a regional comprehensive plan at a cost of about $12,000. Manager Jay Finnigan advised Supervisors that its current comprehensive plan is 13 years old, and is overdue for an update.

Diacogiannis urged a multi-municipal plan, authorized by state law, as the best way of dealing with the warehouse crisis. But Steve Salvesen  was opposed. He kept questioning whether this regional effort would really be a benefit to Hanover Tp. Finnigan replied that under this approach, Hanover Tp would get traffic impact fees from warehouse development "to improve our roads. ... We don't have that ability right now."

The biggest advantage to multi-municipal planning is that it allows for planning all categories of land uses across the participating municipalities. This means there's no need to permit all possible legal uses within one municipality, so long as one municipality accommodates it. Thus, some municipalities could deny warehouses so long as another municipality permits it. One municipality could refuse to permit a gentleman's club so long as another municipality provides for it.

Other advantages to multi-municipal planning is that it provides a framework for enhanced communication, sharing of municipal services and coordination when there are development proposals of regional significance.

The current multi-municipal plan serves the boroughs of Bath, Nazareth, Stockertown, and Tatamy; as well as Bushkill, Lower Nazareth, Moore and Upper Nazareth Townships.

Resident Cecil Blocker said he counted 16 trucks on Crawford Road on his way to the meeting. "This is going to be Trucksville USA soon," he complained. "We're at the end of the colon," replied Steve Salvesen, referring to truck traffic that will be coming through Hanover Township as a result of the FedEx facility.

Voting for the multi-municipal plan were Diacogiannis, Susan Lawless, Esq., and Michael Prendeville Salvesen was the dissenter. Jack Nagle was absent.

Nathan Jones Leaving Bethlehem Tp For Lower Mac

Nathan Jones has been Bethlehem Tp's Planning Director since July 2014. But starting in May, he will be the Ass’t Planning Director in Lower Macungie Township.

"I really enjoyed my time here," he explained, "but I could not miss this professional opportunity."

Jones had been slated to attend the American Planning Association conference in New Orleans for a week's worth of training in April, but has canceled those plans. He said it would be inappropriate for him to travel on the dime of Bethlehem Tp taxpayers when he knows he is leaving.

Jones is a graduate of both The University of Pittsburgh and Suffolk University,where he attained a Master's degree in Public Administration. Before coming to the Lehigh Valley, he was a planner in New England.

Commw Ct Rules Willow Ridge Apartment Complex Shits Like Everyone Else

On their webpage, The Residences at Willow Ridge touts themselves as the utopia of Allen Tp and Northampton. Promising "serene luxury," they claim that their 216 apartments (1BR and 2BR) "have been designed with spacious layouts and sophisticated features" like a gourmet kitchen. Amenities include a saltwater swimming pool, outdoor lounge and sun deck, a 24/7 fitness center, and a beautiful club-house. A 30-acre park surrounds this serene setting. In fact, The Residences think they are so special that they only shit about 1/3 as the rest of us. They feel so strongly that they filed a lawsuit about it, and when Judge Craig Dally had the nerve to rebuff them, they appealed to the Commonwealth Court. Alas, they have lost there as well. Speaking for a three-judge panel in a 16-page Opinion, Judge Michael Wojcik has concluded that there's just as much shit flowing from The Residences as from less-refined developments. Accordingly, he affirmed Judge Dally's ruling that a $654,000 sewer hook-up fee is legit.

During the planning stages, Allen Township decided to charge a flat tapping fee of $3,000 for each unit, whether it was one or two bedrooms. Willow Ridge paid $654,000 for 218 units in 2011, but had second thoughts later when it concluded it was only using about 1/3 of the sewage anticipated. It wanted a $432,000 refund.

In his Opinion, Judge Dally ruled that, under a state statute known as the Municipality Authorities Act, apartments can be treated just like other types of residential housing when determining the capacity required for sanitary sewer service. Though Willow Ridge claimed that it was overcharged, it failed to preserve that issue on appeal and waived it.

So Willow Ridge gets no money back.

You can read the Commonwealth Court's opinion here.

Sunshine Act Prompts East Allen to Postpone Big Box Hearing

These people were unable to see or
hear what was happening in the meeting.

Welcome to America's Truck Stop! The Fed Ex ground facility going up right now in Allen Township is expected to be the largest ground facility in the world, according to Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley. In addition to the Fed Ex itself, The Morning Call reports that Allen Township is planning for 13 warehouses around the Fed Ex. They will take up as much room as 100 football fields. This demand for big boxes is so strong that it has spilled over into East Allen Township. Last night, East Allen Supervisors were expected to consider a proposal to change the zoning designation of 155.03 acres along the southwest side of Weaversville Road, from Agricultural to Light Industrial. The suits were all there. Lehigh Valley International Airport, which owns the land. The Rockefeller Group, salivating for more big boxes. But the meeting ended abruptly with no decision or testimony because some bottom-feeder pointed out that Supervisors were violating the Sunshine Act.

That troublemaker was me.

I was there once before and had no trouble finding a place to park. But last night was different. There was no room in the parking lot, but I eventually was able to park on the grass at an empty lot next to the fire company. I was far from alone. Many cars were already there.

80 people were inside the meeting room

Walking toward the municipal building, I noticed a state trooper parked there. Maybe someone had tipped him off that I was coming. But he let me go by without tasing me. He must have been lying in wait for Ron Angle, who like me pops up at the strangest places.

The hallway inside the municipal building was packed with about 20 people. They were unable to get inside the meeting room. More importantly, they were unable to hear the meeting in any way. Resident Sonia Shadid told me another 20 people had previously been sent away.

Though there may have been no room to sit, I figured I could stand alongside a wall and decided to go in. But as I walked in, a big and burly firefighter with 24-inch pythons stopped me at the door. He told me no more than 80 people are allowed inside the room, and that I alone probably count as 10 people, so I wasn't getting in. He weakened a little when I told him I am friends with King Allentown, but he insisted on following the law.

So I insisted on following the law, too. The Sunshine Law. Though largely toothless, it does provide that the "right of the public to be present at all meetings of agencies and to witness the deliberation, policy formulation and decisionmaking of agencies is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process." It provides for public participation at meetings, enabling the public to speak on matters before official action is taken. In this case, the public was being deprived of the opportunity to both listen and speak.

From the doorway, I loudly objected. You see, there's a provision in the Sunshine Act that enables any person, even a bottom-feeding blogger, "to raise an objection at any time to a perceived violation of this chapter at any meeting of a board or council."

So I did. I pointed out that the public was being deprived the opportunity to witness government in action and to add their own voice. Shadid told Supervisors that about 15-20 members of the public had actually been turned away.

Solicitor Joe Piperato was receptive to this argument and explained the law to Supervisors. They unanimously voted to postpone its public hearing until they can find a bigger hall.

After it was over, I thanked each Supervisor and Piperato, all of whom were very gracious.

Lehigh Valley truck traffic is expected to double in the next ten years as a result if all these box boxes,and it will be coming down Airport Road. About 100 people were on hand for this meeting, not including the ones sent away. But I saw no one from the daily newspapers.

Bethlehem's New Parking Deck

I was looking forward to relaxing a bit on Thursday night after three days of meetings in a row. But sometime yesterday afternoon, I got a call.

"You're going to the meeting in Bethlehem tonight, aren't you?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

I was coaxed into going, especially when this friend told me he had a super secret study that shows that the world as we know it will end if a parking deck goes up next to Dennis Benner's approved building at Third and New.

"Send me the study."

"You got it. It's on its way."

It never came.

"Send me the frickin' study."

"Rightyo. It's on its way."

It never came.

I decided to go to the meeting, mostly because I bought a digital voice recorder and wanted to try it out. A reporter I admire very much uses one, and I'm a copycat.

I walked in at town hall at 7 pm, and the meeting was already well underway. My friend had given me the wrong frickin' time.

Because I was late, no one could run from me, and I sat my fat ass right next to Alicia Miller Karner. She's in charge of the City's economic development and I like her very much.To be honest, I am a little bit afraid of her. But it seems that every time I write a story about Bethlehem, she gets in trouble. So I tried to make amends last night.

"Do you come here often?" I asked.

"Shut up, Bernie."

The Berkenstocks were there, too, in all their glory. The Marxist from South Side Initiative, Breena Holland,and Al Wurth, who reminded everyone about 15 times that he's a college professor.

They're in "the sky is falling" camp, along with most everyone else.

I'm in the "You better hope this plan succeeds or it will be a long time before there's any development in the South Side" camp. By myself.

I've already sat in on two meetings in which this project as discussed to death. At the Planning Commission, my little head finally exploded. I'm not a college professor, but a bottom-feeding blogger. But before that happened, I distinctly remember St. Luke's explaining that there had to be a parking deck next to the Benner building and there had to be an elevated walkway as well. This is because they would be seeing pre- and post-operative patients who are not exactly ready to run a marathon.

In spite of what was clearly said, Al Wurth and Breena Holland's solution is to shuttle everyone in from parking lots located 14 miles away. They must want to set up some sort of gurney express.

My head exploded again.

Incidentally, the super secret parking study was available as a handout. I picked up a copy. I'll be reading that over the weekend, and will give you a serious report on this matter on Monday.

But I was mostly screwing with my voice recorder.

The Council member who dominated discussion the most?

Shawn Martell. 19 minutes. He beat Bryan Callahan by four minutes. But Shawn can be forgiven because he ran a very good meeting. If someone went over the five minutes by thirty seconds or so, he did not freak out. Also, both Callahan and Willie Reynolds engaged members of the public from time to time, so people did not feel like they were talking to a wall.

One resident made some terrific points about these goofy Historic Commissions that seem to be like Big Brother in so many communities. I'll be writing about that, too.

Palmer Tp Approves 312 Apartments at Vacant ITT Site.

Gary Asteak chats with Chuck Piazza before the hearing starts. 

Palmer Township's Board of Supervisors unanimously decided last night to approve controversial plans for a 312-apartment development called Palmer Points at the old ITT factory at 3100 Charlotte Avenue. They did so before a standing-room only crowd and over the vocal objections of prominent Easton Attorney Gary Asteak, numerous residents and Asteak's client, business owner Jeff Acopian. He kept referring to himself as Rodney Dangerfield. The Board's decision followed 10 1/2 hours of testimony in contentious hearings that first began in January.

The developer of this project, Lou Pektor, was represented by zoning law expert Jim Preston. Providing legal advice to Palmer's Board was respected Easton Attorney Chuck Bruno, who got his start under the wing of Charlie Spaziani.

The apartments will be a mix of one and two bedroom apartments spread out among 13 buildings inside the 28-acre tract. These will be three and a half stories high. Developer Lou Pektor has been allowed to increase the density, but will be required to provide a needed traffic signal at the Greenwood and Hartley Avenue intersection and make other infrastructure improvements.

Pektor will collect between $1,200 and $1,600 per month for one and two bedroom apartments. They are within spitting distance of Route 22, so he's sweetening the deal with a clubhouse and a swimming pool.

Pektor's Bethlehem Fields

Although Supervisors spoke of other apartment projects in Palmer, this is very similar to Pektor's Bethlehem Fields apartments on Cherry Lane in Hellertown, right off the route 78 exit. That is a 216-unit development, is fully rented, and has resulted in little additional traffic.

High density apartments are quite unpopular, especially when planned near single family homes. The following arguments were made concerning Palmer Points.

• Multifamily apartments lower the value of single-family homes in the neighborhood.
• People who live in apartments are less desirable neighbors and more likely to engage in
crime or other anti-social behavior.
• Apartments overburden schools, produce less revenue for local governments, and require more infrastructure support.
• Higher-density housing creates traffic congestion and parking problems.

Palmer Tp's five-person board, chaired by Dave Colver

Those arguments are rebutted by a Harvard Study as well as the Urban Land Institute. But after hearing these complaints from so many people, Palmer Board Chair Dave Colver asked Township Manager Chris Christman to look into these concerns at other apartment buildings in Palmer Township.

Impact on Schools - Palmer View is a 306-unit apartment complex and has 27 school age children. Woodmont is a 216-unit operation and has 20 school age children. Based on what is going on there, Christman estimates that Palmer Points will produce 30 school age children.

Traffic - Police spent 30 days measuring the traffic along Hartley Avenue, the main point of access of  Palmer Points. They counted 3,350 cars per day, driving an average of 30 mph. The 312-apartment complex will add 624 cars to the road and will increase traffic by about 50%.

Crime - Woodmont, Gateway Terrace and Palmer View all have extremely low call rates. Statistically, they are negligible  According to Christman, the majority of police calls are 911 hang ups and false alarms, with little evidence of drug activity.

During February's hearing, Jessica McAndrew told Supervisors that people in homes near the Madison Farms apartment complex in Bethlehem Township are now experiencing more vandalism, thefts and scams from "out of state people." Christman asked Bethlehem Township Police Chief Dan Pancoast whether this is true and he responded that there was one incident of vandalism. During construction, there was some theft of material. Hhe noted three retail thefts at the nearby Shop-Rite and said the crime rate at the apartments is "extremely low."

Property Values - In reaction to those who complained their property values would deteriorate, Christman cited a study from the Delaware Valley Planning Commission, indicating that there is actually a slight appreciation in the property value of single homes. This was confirmed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. Christman also spoke to a realtor who sells homes in the Woodridge Falls housing development, located near Woodmont. He was told sellers are getting 92% of their asking prices, and that properties are on the market an average of 58 days.

Taxes - The total taxes currently paid at the ITT site is $42,435.16. But once Palmer Points is in business, the estimated total real estate taxes (school,county and township) will be $534,959.50.

"I feel this Board has to deal with the facts," stated Colver.

Tom Comitta, deer in the headlights

Height Increase from 2.5 to 3.5 stories

In February, Jim Preston attempted to establish "excellence in architectural design," which would justify an increase in the size of the buildings from 2.5 (35') to 3.5 stories (48'). He called Easton architect Jeff Martison, the same guy who was overseeing a project in Easton in which the building would collapse later that week.

Among other things, Martison was clueless when asked to define what constitutes a story.

Gary Asteak tore poor Jeff apart. He admitted that he himself was not the architect who designed these buildings, and was unaware of any awards given to the actual designer. When pressed, he called the design "prototypical" and then later called it part of the "vernacular architecture" in this region. In other words, common. He refused to use the word "common" or "typical" once he realized where Gary was headed, but had already screwed himself.

Preston decided he better try again, so last night, he had a new witness who would establish "excellence in architectural design." After all, he couldn't possibly be worse than Martison, right?

Sign at library, where meeting took place

Wrong. Thomas Comitta, a certified planner from near Philly who presented a 15,000 page curriculum vitae, was a disaster. Unfortunately, he's a consultant in Bethlehem Township and is helping them prepare their updated comprehensive plan.

Comitta is actually a landscape architect. He's never designed an apartment building or any residence. But there he was, horn rimmed glasses and all, providing thirty-minute answers to five second questions. Among other things, he let it be known that he could help Palmer write their own design guidelines.

He went to Harvard, you know.

Things got so bad that Chuck Bruno had to step in and tell him to just answer the damn questions.

Comitta said he wouldn't call the design "ugly" or "repugnant" or "awkward."

When Asteak finally had him in his clutches, Comitta was soon ready to be committed. Asked to provide examples of other designs in this area that are "a cut above," he was unable to do so. He actually at one point likened the design to a Moravian building. That was likely news to Pektor, who graduated from Moravian.

Asteak had Comitta simultaneously saying that the architecture is "excellent" and "normative."

Yes, normative is a word. It means normal, not excellent. .

Because the zoning ordinance mentions pitched roofs, and this design is a pitched roof with gables and dormers, he hung his hat on clause in the ordinance.

So did Supervisors, when it was time to vote. But this was clearly the weakest part of the plan.

Gary also tangled with Supervisors at times. He thought he and others should have been allowed to cross-examine Christman's "study." but Bruno refused to allow it.

Asteak began suggesting that this was a "done deal and we're wasting our breath." Bruno responded that Asteak was essentially making an "accusation of corruption, and you better back that up."

He then explained there is no need to go back and forth with "point and counter-point."

"If you don't let me speak, I'm going to raise Hell," said a man behind me in the audience. "Every one of you has spoken ten times," replied an exasperated Dave Colver  He also claimed that the information provided by Christman was no study, but just a response to questions he had after listening to residents express their concerns.

"There was no Watergate report," he said. . .

Though Supervisors gave Pektor all the relief sought, and did so unanimously, they want the traffic signal in operation before he gets a CO for any of his 13 buildings."You need the signal now," advised Township Engineer Brian Dillman.

That in turn will require a Highway Occupancy Permit from PennDOT, and Diillman predicted that will take "at least" a year.

Colver suggested that Pektor might want to return with phases, so that he might be able to build one or two buildings to generate the revenue needed to pay for the traffic signal and other infrastructure improvements.

Lieb on the Urban Parking Dilemma

(I was unable to give a decent report of Thursday's Planning Commission meeting because my brain short-circuited after about two hours. Fortunately, I write for a weekly, and have the luxury of letting things sink in. But Randy Kraft's story for WFMZ-TV69 is simply outstanding, and it.  In the meantime, Dennis Lieb sent me an essay that essential argues that urban planners should de-emphasize parking garages. Lieb is a student od urban planning and was an Easton Planning Commissioner for about five years. Here are his thoughts.)  

The Parking Effect On Urban Design, Mobility and Accessibility:

The complaints that more parking is needed to get the office development built is representative of the circular reasoning that created the car-dependency problem in the first place. I am not bashing anyone for holding this opinion since it is a common one that we have been led to believe, but it misses the counter-intuitive nature of the problem. As cities adopted suburban style development mentalities to compete with emerging suburban growth they provided more and more parking for places originally designed to be reached on foot or by transit. This was a misunderstanding of what the city had to offer vis-a-vis suburbia. The lesson - as yet to be learned in most parts of many cities, including Bethlehem - is that you compete by accentuating what sets you apart from suburbia, not by trying to become it. As we've seen all over the country, that was, and still remains, a losing proposition.

As parking lots and garages go up, their insertion into the street grid naturally spreads out the remaining destinations (housing, retail, office uses) over a larger physical area. As this occurs the willingness of people to walk to the remaining destinations diminishes. Studies have shown that most people are wiling to walk about five minutes or .25 mile (about 1300 ft). These walking statistical areas manifest themselves in something called a pedestrian shed: http://pedshed.net/?page_id=5 

A series of them in a neighborhood might look like this (image courtesy of DPZ.com):

This is not an exact science and the real distances in any given place have a lot to do with the quality of the walk and what you can access by doing it. The average goes up to about 10 minutes and .5 mile if a quality transit station is at the other end of the trip - rail or bus. It you had a bit more of a sociable destination in mind you might want to whimsically map something like this:

http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/scott-doyon/17953/pub-shed-mapping-your-five-minute-stumble-distance

As walking decreases, driving between locations increases and people are using more parking spaces as they move between destinations that were previously walkable. Downtowns with large gaps in their street faces due to empty lots and blank-faced garage structures actually discourage people - especially those without intimate knowledge of the place (like tourists) - from venturing very far down streets. Without getting too wordy, this diagram, lifted from Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking is used to illustrate the dilemma. If you start at the bottom of the wheel at "Suburbanization and Degraded Cities" and move clockwise you'll get the point:

Places like Bethlehem have a fairly compact core but a lot of suburban infiltration has occurred on the city's perimeter. It would be best to stop this before any more damage is done. Easton doesn't suffer much at all from similar fates since it is totally built out and has no sprawl potential and little opportunity for degradation of the existing fabric - but the city still makes a lot of iffy decisions as if it did; like the idea that we need two more parking decks downtown (a soapbox diatribe for another day). Anyway, more driving begets more cars and traffic, which begets more accommodations of both (roads and parking), which begets less walkable cities and the whole degenerating cycle winds down to urban deterioration.

So whats the answer to the person who says, "Well, we have all these people driving to get to things now. What else are we supposed to do?" The point that has been missed for a very long time is that when people are driving distances to get what they need the response should not be more accommodation of the car. It should be an evaluation of what is missing within their ped shed and to provide it. In technical jargon this would be called densification and intensification of the urban environment. In layman's terms its known as CITY BUILDING: give people what they need where they need it...commerce, supply and demand, capitalism. What is the big mystery here? 

Build a better neighborhood that people think is beautiful; that functions simply for their everyday needs and that allows choices - along with the car but that are not exclusive to it - that address both mobility and accessibility issues equally.

323 Northampton St Collapse: Storm or Negligence?

Last week, Easton Mayor Sal Panto managed to annoy downtown merchants in a lengthy discussion over whether to light the gigantic Phallus symbol known as the Easton Peace Candle on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday. The following day, just as a woman had walked past the building at 323 Northampton Street, a section of brick wall collapsed onto the bank Street alley. Fortunately, no one was hurt, although surrounding businesses will be closed. An Express Times headline calls it a "storm damaged" building. But Mother Nature had nothing to do with the decision to completely gut the building, even below the foundation. Easton Codes was apparently warned about this condition, yet did nothing.

323 Northampton is the former Dollar Store, and is being converted into a restaurant by the River Grille and Ocean owners. At the rate things are going, all dining there will be al fresco. Though that term sounds very foo foo, it actually means spending time in jail, and some people are claiming on the Easton Facebook page that what has happened is criminal.

Easton's $87,000 per year Code Inspector is Stephen Nowroski, remember? About this time last year, I told you he had left Forty Fort in the midst of allegations that his department engaged in retaliation and played political favorites. According to the Department of Labor and Industry, his department only inspected about 25% of the properties for which permits had been issued. Forty Fort residents also got stuck with an 80' high lighted billboard after he or the Solicitor neglected to mail an adverse ruling to the property owner. That turned a No into a Yes.

Neither the public nor Easton City Council knew any of this when Nowrowski was hired. Panto wanted it to be a surprise.

In the meantime, architect Jeff Martinson went to work at the Dollar Store at 323 Northampton Street. Yes, this is the same genius who recently testified in the Palmer Points project that the Value Place Extended Stay Motel is an example of excellence in architecture. He was unable to answer basic questions, like how a "story" is defined under Palmer's zoning ordinance.

Martinson completely gutted the building. According to merchants in the area, he got rid of all lateral supports, and nothing was there to prevent the building from collapsing. Bricked-up windows were removed inappropriately. There was no proper temporary bracing to the weakened wall. He also allowed the building to be unsecured to the point where someone could literally step from the alley, over a 16" high window sill and fall 20 ft into the basement.

Unqualified workers were used. I doubt any trades unions worked here.

Martinson also dug below the foundations. So no 50 mph winds were needed. A healthy fart could have sent that building into a nosedive.

This point is corroborated by this Easton Facebook entry. "Storm damage? Are you kidding? The building was completely gutted including all the floor joists, the windows were removed and they excavated under the existing foundation. They even dug under the foundation of the party wall connecting to the new public market."

Kevin Ruppert adds, "In fact the city has failed. There is no veil to hide this. Was the undermining of the foundation planned? I saw many truckloads of compacted clay removed in a grasshopper landscaping truck. Where were the code inspectors?"

I am informed that calls were placed to the Easton Codes department in October and November, to no avail.

I expect to see Panto respond to these concerns with his usual bully tactics. He's too busy doing things he strongly denied. One of his buddies wants him to fix a parking ticket. Shhh!

Proposed Palmer Points Panned at Public Hearing

Is Value Place cutting edge architecture?

Will Palmer Township approve controversial plans for a mega-apartment complex smack dab next to St. Jane Frances de Chantal's new digs? Beats me. Supervisors were supposed to make a decision last night, but re-opened the record to allow additional testimony. After two and a half hours, Chairman Dave Colver pulled the plug and put the matter off for another day. Testimony, arguments and a possible decision will come on March 29.

Developer Lou Pektor has proposed converting the abandoned 28-acre ITT facility, located next to St. Jane's along Hartley Avenue, into 312 apartments spread out among 13 buildings  He calls his project Palmer Points, and hopes to collect between $1,200 and $1,600 per month for one and two bedroom apartments. They is within spitting distance of Route 22, so he's sweetening the deal with a clubhouse and a swimming pool. The ITT building would be razed. But he's got a problem. This area is zoned light industrial, and he needs Palmer Township's blessing to change the zoning to residential. Not just that, he also wants Supervisors to give him a density bonus for excellent architectural design. Based on poor testimony last night in a meeting room packed with about 50 objectors, he did a poor job of demonstrating that he's entitled to any bonus.

High density apartments are usually quite unpopular. In the Lehigh Valley, deconversion of single-family homes into multi-family apartment buildings is thought by many to be the single biggest reason why cities like Allentown, and to a lesser extent, Bethlehem and Easton, are in such trouble. The following arguments are often made:

• Multifamily apartments lower the value of single-family homes in the neighborhood.
• People who live in apartments are less desirable neighbors and more likely to engage in
crime or other anti-social behavior.
• Apartments overburden schools, produce less revenue for local governments, and require more infrastructure support.
• Higher-density housing creates traffic congestion and parking problems.

Those arguments against Palmer Points have been made. Resident Joe Gagliano has made them, and has presented Supervisors with a petition signed by 83 homeowners opposed to re-zoning. Whether those arguments are factually supported is another question. According to one Harvard study, the data fail to show that multi-family apartments lead to lower property values, cause more crime or create more traffic. A similar conclusion has been reached by the Urban Land Institute, which adds that high density apartments are far less destructive of the environment.

The reality is that apartments are hot. People are no longer interested in purchasing homes because of the uncertainty in the job market and difficulty in obtaining financing. Home ownership has declined more than 6 percentage points in the last decade - from nearly 70% to a little over 63%. That translates into 10 million more family units who rent rather than own.

The type of apartments Pektor is proposing are for what we call "volunteer renters" - that is, folks with the means to buy a home but who have chosen to rent an apartment. $1,200 a month for a one-bedroom, or, $1,600 a month for a two-bedroom is hardly Section 8 territory.

But there's no denying the perception that high-density housing will cause problems.

Jeff Acopian, who has hired hired prominent Easton Attorney Gary Asteak in this dispute, does provide a factual analogy. In an email to Supervisors, he makes the following comparison to Forks Township.

Look at Forks township. Palmer isn’t as congested as they are- YET. But this kind of project will get us to the Forks level of congestion. Years ago, those in favor of this kind of development in Forks used the argument that this kind of project is good for the tax base. But look at what Forks has now! Besides a very congested community, they've also had to raise their taxes a total of almost 25% in the past 3 years alone. It's a false economy to say this type of project will keep the taxes of Palmer residents low. That's just not true.

Acopian believes more effort should have been invested into luring a light industry into the site, mentioning a trend toward "Made in the USA" industries. But distinguished Zoning Attorney Jim Preston, who represents Pektor, told the Board that Pektor has tried. "If we could sell the property tomorrow, we would not be here."

Jessica McAndrew told Supervisors that this project is very similar to the Madison Farms apartment complex in Bethlehem Township. According to her, people who live in surrounding neighborhoods are now experiencing more vandalism, thefts and scams from "out of state people." She claims things are so bad that a Neighborhood Block Watch has been formed. McAndrew also complained about crowded classrooms at Palmer Elementary, where 30 students to a class is the norm, becoming even more crowded.

I don't know if McAndrew is accurate about Madison Farms. I believe a block watch is being formed, but it's a reaction to the apartments at Northampton Community College, not Madison Farms

Some have hinted that allowing this site to remain light industrial would make it more difficult for Charlie Chrin to lure businesses to his 1,000-acre industrial park in northern Palmer Township, which is supposed to create 5,000 jobs. Converting the zoning here to residential would certainly remove some of the possible competition to Chrin.

After the record was closed in January, Pektor decided that he needed zoning approval for 48' high buildings, and not the 36' in his application. So he presented testimony to the Planning Commission two weeks ago, and Easton architect Jeff Martinson spoke on the subject last night. The higher buildings and density bonus would be permitted if it could be established that there is "excellence in architectural design."

Martison showed two pictures of the proposed buildings and claimed that the rooftops, manufactured stone and chimneys provided that excellence.

Gary Asteak tore poor Jeff apart. He admitted he himself was not the architect who designed these buildings, and is unaware of any awards given to the actual designer. When pressed, he called the design "prototypical" and then later called it part of the "vernacular architecture" in this region. In other words, common. He refused to use the word "common" or "typical" once he realized where Gary was headed, but had already screwed himself.

Amazingly, this architect had no idea what the height of these proposed buildings actually is, and never bothered looking at the Zoning Ordinance, which defines these things. Eventually, Chairman Dave Colver had to read the definition himself.

Martinson did no favors to his cause when he produced pictures of the proposed buildings, which look exactly like the Value Place Extended Stay Hotel in Bethlehem.

"You're trying to turn this town into extended stay hotels!" joked resident Alex Karapetian.

It was at this point that Colver decided he had heard enough for one night. Though he kept tight control on outbursts, he made sure that everyone who wanted to speak got a chance. Some residents were allowed to speak several times. He mentioned there's a five-minute rule on comment, but added he has never imposed it.

One woman - her name is Karen Wasielewski - made comments when she was supposed to be asking questions and asked questions when she was supposed to making her arguments. That's common at zoning and planning hearings. Palmer Township Solicitor Chuck Bruno gently teased her on her mistake, and she joked, "That's because I'm married to a dumb Polack."

Updated 9:30 am: In an earlier version of this story, I got Lou Pektor and Lew Ronca mixed up. Now both of them are going to sue me.          

Can Bethlehem Lure FedEx?

Deed restrictions prohibiting commercial or industrial use have stymied FedEx's efforts to build a $335 million megahub for its delivery service in Allen Township for the past two years. This legal monkey wrench also delayed Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority from making its final, $7.1 million payment, on a $26 million award entered against the Authority when it condemned the land in the '90s. But instead of walking away from the Lehigh Valley, Fed Ex is being lured by come hither looks being cast in its direction by Bethlehem.

On February 11, Bethlehem's Planning Commission voted 4-0 to approve plans for a distribution center in Bethlehem, along 131 acres at 3633 Commerce Center Boulevard, next to centers already owned and operated by Walmart and Crayola.

The project was endorsed by the City's Planning Department.  

Eric Scheler, Majestic Realty's District manager, outlined plans for a 981,321 sq ft warehouse distribution center, exactly 1.3 miles along Route 412 from Interstate Route 78. Over 400 trucks a day would flow into the facility as 2,500 employees working three shifts would sort and load packages. Most of that truck traffic would then return to Route 78, although a smaller number of local delivery vans would leave the facility for local deliveries in the Bethlehem area.

"The City is open for business," said Sheller, adding that his company "has the horsepower to attract these kinds of tenants."

The only concern, raised by Matt Malozi, was whether delivery trucks would stack at other locations. Scheler stated that the four-lane approach to the facility would allow trucks to stack there.

"I don't think you could find a better spot," exclaimed Planning Chairman Rob Melosky, who called the project a "slam dunk."

Melosky pressed Sheler for a time line. "We're ready to pour concrete in May," Scheler answered.

FedEx representatives were absent from the meeting.

No members of the public opposed or supported the project.

Voting to approve the plans were Chair Rob Melosky, Matt Malozi, Tom Barker and Lou Stellato. Jim Fiorentino was absent.

Bethlehem: Apartments, Warehouses and Medical Offices on the Rise

Once a year, Bethlehem Planning Director presents a Planning Report, which is endorsed by the Planning Commission and then forwarded to City Council. I consider it a very useful research tool. Below is the Planning Report endorsed by Commissioners yesterday. The report shows a definite shift in housing to apartments over home ownership. Most of the commercial development consists of warehouses and medical offices.

Bethlehem's 2015 Annual Planning Report

LV Mayors' Forum on Sustainability

Fed Ed

The Urban Land Institute was supposed to have a forum yesterday that included the Lehigh Valley's top four Mayors. The topic was "Next Generation Cities and Suburbs," to be discussed over lunch in Iacocca Hall at Lehigh University's Mountaintop Campus. The place was packed with engineers and economic development types in very nice suits. And there was me in jeans and a raggedy shirt. But I did have my new Barmah hat made out of kangaroo leather, so I was the coolest dude in the room. I was looking forward to hearing Mayors Ed Hozza and Bob Donchez discuss the future of their cities. But I was disappointed. Neither of them showed up. The official line was that Mayor Bob had a mega toothache, and was being treated by Dr. Giggles, while Mayor Hozza was assisting a family member who had just undergone major surgery. But I soon discovered the real reason for their absence.

Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski.

He was the lead-off hitter, and the organizers made the mistake of letting him use a power point. A presentation that was supposed to last between five and seven minutes stretched to about a half hour. This was following an introduction that he obviously wrote himself and that took nearly a half hour to read.

Along the way, the woman reading off Fed Ed's curriculum vitae also discussed his wife, mentioning that she had once been a "Communist organizer" in Chicago. Funny how the federal investigation or vote of no-confidence was never mentioned.

The ladies just gawked when they saw this. I
think this is more effective than pretending I'm gay!

Allentown Sustainability

Fed Ed said he had a five-year sustainability plan, arrived at through discussions with 50 community and city leaders, addressing the environment, infrastructure, sustainable land use and a sustainable future.

With respect to the environment, he noted that there's been a 40% reduction in residential and commercial waste, made possible in part by a recycling participate rate of over 90%. He noted that over 800 litter baskets have been installed in the City, along with 110 "big belly" trash compactors. He indicated that WPA stone structures are being retored and that he is introducing native species to the parks. But he added that Allentown produces 120 tons of garbage per day, and he still would like to get a trash-to-energy plant going because the landfills will soon be unable to hild all the garbage coming in from New York alone, with amounts to 26,000 tons per day.

Noting that there are several gold and silver LEED-certified buildings in the City, Fed Ed stated that Allentown lends itself to sustainable land use because of its dense street grid, concentration of jobs and proximity to housing. He discussed the adaptive re-use of older buildings and spoke of the Riverfront to be so picuresque that it makes you feel as though you are "in the middle of the poconos."

In the future, he'd like to see rooftop gardens at City hall and at other places.

Panto Stresses Housing For Working Poor

According to Easton Mayor Sal Panto, the biggest challenge facing all communities, both city and suburb, are pensions. Without reform, the game is over. Panto stated that Easton is situated at the meeting place of three revers - Lehigh, Delaware and Bushkill Creek, and the City has had three 100-year floods over the past four years. But the biggest flooding problem is not from the Delaware, said Panto, but flash floods from the Bushkill Creek.

Panto's goal as Mayor has been to buy up older homes, rehab them and sell them to the working poor. He would like everyone in Easton to have a home.

He also reported that the new City Hall has operating costs that are 40% less than the one he left.

Over $480 million has been invested in Easton over the last eight years.

Bethlehem Fire Chief Stresses Emergency Preparedness

Fire Chief Robert Novatnack, who is also the City's EMS coordinator, was Bob Donchez' pinch hitter.He discussed the importance of having plans in place for inevitable emergencies. Noting the City's history with some recent weather events, Chief Novatnack made clear that "[i]f you don't get people back on their feet, you hear about it."

Like Panto, Chief Novatnack discussed flash flooding as a major problem, and produced pictures of the damages caused when the Monocacy Creek spilled over during Musikfest a few short years ago.

"A lot of people don't recover from that,": he said of submerged Musikfest stands calling the flooding damage "a disaster for small business."

He'd like to see children educated sooner, rather than later, a point on which both Fed Ed and Panto agreed.

It cost me $10 to attend this lunch. I got in at a student rate, claiming I had an INCOMPLETE in some previous course work done at Lehigh. Since only half of the Matyors showed, and a third has been asked to resign, the Urban Land Institute owes me $7.50.

Mayor, DCED Director, Decline Planning Comm'n Invitation

Before he stepped down as Chair of Bethlehem's Planning Commission at their January 14 meeting, Attorney Jim Fiorentino invited Mayor Bob Donchez and Community and Economic Development Director Alicia Karner to appear and explain the "exact nature" of their discussions with Martin Tower developer Lew Ronca. But neither Mayor Donchez nor Karner accepted. In an email, Mayor Donchez said he already disclosed the "exact nature" of that relationship in numerous documents that he previously provided in both a news conference and at a subsequent City Council meeting. Fiorentino, who saw those documents, chided the administration for failing to be completely honest.

Planning Director Darlene Heller, who serves as Secretary to the Planning Commission, defended her role."I don't think we tried in any way to hide the fact that we were talking to developers," she explained. "You could have told us the full story about the developer's intent," responded Fiorentino. In December, he canceled a Planning Commission meeting when The Bethlehem Press revealed that there had been detailed communications between Ronca and City staffers before the City proposed zoning changes at the 52-acre Martin Tower development. This was learned as a result of a Right-to-Know request.

Louis Stellato, a former City Council member who voted for these zoning changes and was appointed to the Planning Commission earlier this month, dismissed Fiorentino's concerns about process. "I don't know how many more times we have to count the chads, the issue is done," he said.

Except it isn't. Bethlehem City Council has been sued in a land use appeal alleging defects in the referrals to the Planning Commission.

After this discussion, Fiorentino nominated Rob Melosky to succeed him. Melosky, a Nazareth teacher has proven himself to be a very attentive Planning Commissioner since his appointment in 2012. He also is offensive coordinator for Central Catholic's football program. Melosky was elected unanimously.

Matthew Malozi, a manager at engineering and planning firm RETTEW, was unanimously elected as Vice Chair.

Heller, despite the earlier squabble, was unanimously retained as the Planning Commission's Secretary.

Martin Tower Rezoning leads to Lehigh County Land Use Appeal

Bethlehem City Council's controversial rezoning of the 52-acre Martin Tower is supposed to jump start development at the long vacant site, including the possible demolition of the iconic 21-story former Bethlehem Steel headquarters. While City official wait for a master plan, they've been greeted by something else - a lawsuit. Two Downtown Historic Bethlehem businesses have been joined by one South side business and four families to file a land use appeal of the rezoning decision. Filed in Lehigh County Court on January 13, the lawsuit is a procedural challenge to the new zoning ordinance.

Distinguished land use and zoning attorney Marc Kaplin, who maintains a practice in Blue Bell, filed the land use appeal on behalf of Hotel Bethlehem, Donegal Square, the Taylor Family Gas Station and residents Rocco and Electra D'Amato, Steven and Barbara Diamond, Clint and Sonia Walker, Deni Thurman-Eyer and Robert Romeril.

According to the 196-page filing, two critical errors doomed the zoning ordinance, which was adopted by City Council by a 6-1 vote at their December 15, 2015 meeting. First, Planning Director Darlene Heller made changes to the ordinance on August 28, 2015, which were transmitted to Council without review by the Planning Commission. Second, after City Council itself proposed some amendments to the ordinance, Heller failed to provide those changes to the Planning Commission at least 30 days in advance of a hearing.

According to the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), amendments proposed by a governing body like City Council must be submitted to the Planning Commission at least 30 days in advance of a hearing. They must also be provided with changes unilaterally made by the Planning Director.

Because the City failed to follow the procedural requirements set forth in the MPC, Attorney Kaplin argued that the ordinance adopted on December 15 is void on its face.

You can read the Complaint here.

Bethlehem - A City Divided Against Itself

Rev. Mable Humphrey warned against a house divided 

Rev. Mable Humphrey, a preacher at Grace Deliverance Baptist Church who delivered the invocation at last night's crowded meeting of Bethlehem City Council, just might have set the record for lengthiest prayer ever, but it was a good one. Although I'm sure the Jesus references were something that the Jews in attendance could do without, she prayed for unity and reminded everyone that "no city or house divided against itself will stand."  If that's so, Bethlehem should come crashing down even sooner than Martin Tower. Last night, a nearly unanimous Council voted 6-1 to approve a new ordinance that permits developer Lew Ronca to tear down the tower with $9 million of our money, and develop the 53-acre site with a mix of office buildings, residences and retail. They did so despite protests from 21 of 22 residents, merchants and assorted professors.

Rod Holt, Apollo Grill co-owner, reminded both City Council and Mayor Donchez of what Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto supposedly said after the Pearl Harbor attack. "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

"You all know how that ended," Holt concluded.

He was hinting that the Administration and Council will pay a heavy price at the polls for their actions last night in adopting an ordinance almost universally opposed by Downtown Bethlehem and South Side merchants. Some say this anti-incumbent sentiment is what has already swept Olga Negron and Michael Colon into office.

Although Mayor Donchez insisted at the start of the meeting that the process was fair to all involved, Holt countered he was at a meeting with Planning Director Darlene Heller denied that the Administration was talking to the developer in and that Community and Economic Development Director Alicia Karner twice refused to let merchants meet with the Mayor. Diane Holt, Rod's wife, added that Karner came into a meeting with "guns blazin'" and yelled at merchants who wanted to meet with the Mayor.

Throughout the evening, Holt's allegations were confirmed by Brew Works owner Jeff Fegley, Donegal Square owner Neville Gardner and Hotel Bethlehem Managing partner Bruce Haines.

"We were shut down," complained Fegley.

Neither Karner nor Heller responded to these allegations, but they were praised earlier by the Mayor and later by City Council. They have previously denied that they prevented merchants from seeking out the Mayor.

Jim Fiorentino, Chair of the Planning Commission, also addressed Council. He told them he first became aware of the new ordinance at Martin Tower in June, and was immediately struck by the detail. He believes he and other planners were misled about the involvement of developer Lew Ronca.

He likened planning to building a snowball, which he said should be built at the top of a hill, with many people helping. Once that snowball starts rolling down a hill, it's hard to change it.

Fiorentino concluded that adoption of this ordinance would send the message that the City can be underhanded in everything we do."

Hotel Bethlehem Managing Partner Bruce Haines had three points. First, even with Eric Evans' amendments, the amount of destination retail permitted at the Martin Tower site will still be 2 1/2 times the size of Historic Downtown Bethlehem shopping district. Second, the developer is being rewarded with a windfall after he blighted the tower himself. Finally, he called the City Revitalization and improvement Zone (CRIZ), a special incentive under which Ronca can use state and local taxes to finance development, the "root cause" of the problem. He warned that Ronca can use the CRIZ to drive every downtown merchant out of business, and then move the CRIZ downtown after buying all their buildings at reduced prices.

Irishman Neville Gardner told the story of being forced to call Ronca from Scotland because the developer was going to refuse to permit parking at the Martin Tower lot during Celtic Classic."You're dancin' with the Devil," he warned.

Dana Grubb suggested that the City should conduct a number of neighborhood meetings, as it did when it considered a new zoning ordinance.

Kisann Albanese, a massage therapist downtown, noted the absence of both a plan and the developer.

The sole supporter of Martin Tower rezoning was David "Lump" Sanders, owner of the popular Center Street deli where the famous Table of Knowledge is located.

"Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield," he started.He noted plans like these always have opposition, including the Sands and Lowe's. He said that Martin Tower doesn';t generate enough taxes to even pay for a police motorcycle.

When all were said and done, all Council members save Cathy Reuscher voted for the mixed use ordinance. Eric Evans stated that the people in the room do not speak for all 77,000 Bethlehem residents. Recchiuti, who plans on moving to Hanover Township, voted for big boxes and suburban sprawl. Bryan Callahan amazingly avoided insulting the audience for the first time in several meetings. Lou Stellato said, "We gottta' do something!" for the third time. Adam Waldron wants to "scale it down," a little bit, but not enough to vote No.Reynolds tried to be conciliatory, but

It's too soon to say whether merchants will challenge this ordinance in court. But it's very likely that supporters of this ordinance will be challenged in upcoming elections. Historically, mercahnts have stayed out of electoral politics, but that appears to be changing.

The City is divided against itself.

Updated 11:45 am. There are stories at WFMZ-TV69, Morning Call and Express Times.

Benner Unveils $20 MM Greenway Park Building

Dennis Benner

Sometime early next year, a new building will start climbing for the stars in South Bethlehem, at the intersection of S. Third and New Streets. Developer Dennjis Benner, who is also a distinguished Bethlehem attorney, unveiled for a $20 million six-story office bulding that will house two very important tenants - St. Luke's University Health Network and lehigh University.

The ground floor of the 125,000 sq ft building, which will be linked to a new four-level parking garage, will consist of retail, with the remaining floors being occupied for office use.

St. Luke's will occupy at least one floor for clinical, teaching and administrative space. Lehigh University will move 140 employees from its Office of Advancement into the Greenway Building.

Construction is expected to start in the Spring and last a year.

Benner made the announcement On December 9 from inside a tent set up for the occasion, but the crowd of interested people was so huge that it spilled out around the perimeters. There were close to 100 people, including a panoply of business leaders like Mike Perruucci, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. CEO Don Cunningham, Bethlehemn Mayor Bob Donchez and other City officials, St. Luke's President Richard Anderson, Lehigh University President John Simon and a host of Lehigh engineering and business students.

Dr. Steve Thode with Mayor Bob Donchez

Donchez called the building a "major commitment to the future vitality of the South Side." Over the past several months, he has been engaged in what has been jokingly called "shuttle diplomacy" as he helped put together a deal with two major anchor tenants. Instead of being greeted by a vacant tract, visitors will now see the Greenway Building. Donchez, who grew up on the South Side, calls the building a "catalyst for additional development in South Bethlehem. It will also serve as a gateway into the City from Route 378 and provide much needed foot traffic for the businesses in South Bethlehem."

Benner himself has been a catalyst for in-city development. He has also proposed a nine-story building at 4th and Vine. He is thrilled at the building design prepared by architect Howard Kulp, which includes energy efficient glass, sunscreens and other energy eficiencies.

St. Luke's President Richard Anderson said its presence demonstates the hosp[ital's "long standing commitment to our neighbors ands the Bethlehem Southside ... ."Lehigh University President John Simon stated Lehigh is "proud to play a significant role in this gateway initiative for Southside Bethlehem."

I got there just as the show was starting. Instead of being someone inside the tent, pissing out, I was where I like to be, on the outside, pissing in. But there really is nothing negative about this project. A group of us sat outside and made wisecracks as each speaker waxed on, kinda' like Mystery Science Theater 3000. Instead of Crow T Robit, my partner was The Express Times Sarah Cassi, who tried to deny she knows me.

LU students have been studying South Side under Dr. Thode

Updated: Planners Deny Administrative Review of Green Pond Marsh Plan

Att'y Tom Elliott

Traditions of America, one of the most successful developers of active senior communities, have plans for one in Bethlehem Township. It has an agreement with Green Pond Country Club to build a 256-home gated community right next to the Green Pond Marsh, which has been designated by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a wetland. This marsh has also been designated by the Audubon as an Important Bird Area. It is home to over 180 species of migratory fowl. Rather than saying it's "for the birds," Traditions Principal David Biddison has been fairly aggressive about pushing his plan through both the Planning Commission and Commissioners for deferrals that somehow became outright waivers. But he suffered a minor setback last night.when the Planning Commission refused to send the plans into administrative review. The reason for this can be summed up in two words - Tom Elliott.

Kenn Edinger

Green Pond Marsh supporters have retained Tom Elliott, a Township resident who has served off and on as Township Solicitor over the years. He also served for 14 years as a Planning Commissioner.

The first thing he did was ask Biddison to waive his copyright to the plans so Elliott could copy and inspect them.

"I'm not prepared to have a negotiation on copyright law at a Planning Commission meeting," Biddison bristled, as Chairman Lee Snover explained that developer plans are generally not copied for members of the public, although they can inspect them at municipal offices.

Having insinuated a lack of transparency, Elliott went in to claim that the 86-sheet plan is itself "pretty disappointing." He called it both "unimaginative" and "way too dense." He scoffed at the notion of a project for senior citizens located next to a golf course, noting that many of them will be unable to ambulate in just a few years."You're building a project that by its very nature is ill-proposed for a golf course community," he argued.

Les Walker and Harry Powell

But his biggest argument was that planners have seen no storm water management plan, "You do not have a storm water study and are going into administrative review," he observed. "I'm led to wonder what's in that report. ... I think you would at least have a passing interest." Elliott pointed out that just one week before, the township was hit with a downpour that resulted in many closed roads.

Planner Les Walker, who last month derided opponents of this development as NIMBYs, told Elliott that he happens to be a Professional Engineer and that the downpour that closed roads in Bethlehem Township only happens once very 500 years.

"I don't know how many times I've heard in the last 5-10 years, 'That was a 500-year storm,'" responded Elliott.

In addition to the complete absence of a storm water study, Elliott questioned whether there's been any study of the water quality going from the pond and golf course and into the wetlands. he noted the golf course refuses to use that water to irrigate its fairways.

Agreeing that water quality is something that should be looked at, Kenn Edinger moved to table the proposal to send the development into administrative review. He was joined by Planning Commission members Don Wright, Mark Grandinetti, Harry Powell and James Daley. Chairman Lee Snover, who has a personal relationship with Biddison, abstained. Walker was the sole planner willing to move the plans into administrative review without even examining a storm water study.*

Earlier that evening, Walker askked that the minutes be corrected to reflect that he never said he supported the Traditions plan. He did say again that he is opposed to "some of the antics" displayed by Green Pond Marsh supporters.

Citizens also spoke out against the proposed development. Mary Claire Diamond told planners that she grew up on the golf course, and as a little girl, would count the deer and watch baby owls hatching. She called it a "terrible shame that you considering letting this plan go forward." She still lives on Church Road, near this development, and reported that "traffic in the morning is horrendous." She finally called on planners to "address the flooding issue."

Malissa Davis provided a historical perspective. She noted that planners turned down Tuskes plans to develop Green Pond Marsh in 1999. She reported that Leonard Hudak, when he was a Commissioner, complained about increased traffic and stormwaters. A Toll Brothers plan in 2003 was unpopular enough with residents that 50 of them showed for a DEP meeting. A Petrucci plan proposed in 2010 was given a "Yuck!" by Planning Chair lee Snover, and at that time, Commissioner Michale Hudak, like his father  leonard, was concerned about traffic.

After the meeting, Township residents Barry and Roy Roth reported that the flooding from last Monday's storm was so bad that Hope Road is completely washed way at the Bethlehem Boat Club. They believe all these storm waters cascaded down from St. Luke's Anderson campus, which is incidentally expanding.

_______________________________
*    Update 12:45 pm: During the roll call vote on the motion to table administrative review, the Recording Secretary forgot to call on Grandinetti for a vote. Chair Lee Snover caught this, and asked her to get Grandinetti's vote, which was a No. Planning Director Nathan Jones tells me this can be clealry heard on the tape, but I never heard it in the meeting room.

I have also asked Jones why the documentation that should accompany the agenda prior to a Planning meeting is not being attached.  That will start next month. 

Finally, I think it's time to say that the new PA system in place is horrible, worst than the last, and needs to be replaced. When people speak, and you can only hear every other word, something is wrong. Jones tells me it is operator error, and plans to send Planning Commission members a memo indiucating they need to hold the button while speaking.

Jaindl Should Be Voted Down on LVPC

One of my very first libel threats came from Donna Taggart, way back in 2007. Something the late Billy Givens had written, and on his own webpage, had written had her blowin' oil, So she went after me. I guess we bloggers all look alike. But when I read about David Jaindl's recent nomination as yet another fox in the henhouse known as the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, I am reminded of my own criticism of the game of musical chairs that these developers and consultants play on these boards, where they approve each other's projects.

I know and like David Jaindl. I like turkey. I even like his Northampton County developments. But no developer should be on a regional planning board.

Period.

I first raised this issue concerning the late Glenn Taggart and Andy Twiggar in Tigger, Twiggar and Taggart Bounce Thru Conflicts of Interest at LVPC. At that time, Ron Angle was the sole NorCo Council member to oppose Taggart's (Donna's late husband) re-appointment to the LVPC. Executive John Stoffa had assured Council that Taggart had "nothing going on," but was misled. Taggart actually had to abstain from four matters in which he had a personal interest.

In Bethlehem, Andy Twiggar was until recently a member of their Planning Commission. He is also a NIZ developer of the waterfront project in Allentown, and had every reason to find fault with every project proposed. Fortunately, this walking conflict of interest was replaced.

Here's what I wrote about Twiggar in 2007, who was pitching a project to the LVPC despite being a member, long before the Allentown NIZ was reality:

Guess what? Twiggar is a principal with Dunn Twiggar Company, LLC, an outfit pimping a new development along Allentown's Lehigh River called "The Waterfront." No longshoremen or ex-prize fighters here. Not in this Allentown Shangri-La. The plan is to replace 150 manufacturing jobs at the Lehigh Structural Steel property with 560 condos lying smack dab in the middle of the flood plain.

Jam 'em in there, bippy! Jersey commuters, come on down!

An island for whitey in an Allentown sea of black and brown. De facto segregation. Brilliant! And those manufacturing jobs? Poof! They'll be replaced with jobs for cocktail waitresses, chambermaids and busboys who can't cut it at Bethlehem's casino. They'll be servants as the rest of us whip around in our fancy Rollerblades and cool shades.

Now don't get me wrong. There are many positive positive aspects to this proposed redevelopment, and Our West End Neighborhood features some lovely pictures. But we'll never know whether the LVPC judged this project on its merits or because it was presented and promoted by one of its own - an insider.

Last night, Twiggar, with his Northampton County name tag boldly emblazoned on his jacket, wowed LVPC members as he bounced through a 45 minute slide show.

"Worraworraworraworraworra".

I doubt he showed any flood pics. According to Angle, no developer gets that royal treatment. And surprise, surprise! The LVPC just loves the idea. Concerns about jamming all those condos in a floodplain were summarily dismissed. "This is Allentown." I understand LVPC Boss Mike Kaiser rushed from the meeting to buy a little captain's hat for the proposed marina.

*      *      *

Tiggers, Twiggars and Taggarts have a good thing going. They'll grab a property lying in a floodplain, draw up a fancy plan with hockey rinks, theatres and other baloney, and jam every square inch with condos. Then they'll look for a developer with deep pockets and, of course, some public bucks. And they'll use their inside connections on this and that commission to ease those pesky zoning and planning requirements. They use exotic terms like "project manager," but they're just front men who bounce really well from public to private sectors.

Twiggar is no longer on the LVPC, but is now developing that flood plain with public dollars, thanks to his inside connections. It' part of Allentown's NIZ.

Ain't democracy grand?

Whether Lehigh County Commissioners actually vote Jaindl down remains to be seen. I tend to doubt it.